Comments on: Is Uganda’s “Kill-the-Gays” Bill Author Coming to Washington or Not?http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/01/19/19650
News and commentary about the anti-gay lobbySat, 23 Dec 2017 10:44:32 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.3By: Bob Hunterhttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/01/19/19650#comment-60230
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:26:02 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=19650#comment-60230s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, would not be attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC on February 4. I then posted an update and statement from Ambassador Richard Swett, spokesperson for the National Prayer Breakfast. I am providing both here in this post.
Here is my post from yesterday:
Author of Ugandaâ€s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Uganda MP David Bahati, will not be attending the National Prayer Breakfast according to sources with the Fellowship Foundation. On Sunday, Ugandaâ€s Monitor reported that Bahati planned to attend and to speak at the event. However, according to Bob Hunter and others with the Fellowship Foundation, Bahati was invited months ago [prior to introducing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill] to come to Washington DC only as a volunteer and not to attend the NPB event. According to these sources, Bahati declined the invitation prior to introducing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. According to Mr. Hunter, the Monitor article and Bahatiâ€s statements came as a complete surprise to the NPB officials here. However, in the event the article was accurate, the NPB officials and Congressional leaders were taking action to assure that Bahati did not come to any of the meetings.
I want to make clear that according to the Fellowship the invitation to come to Washington, DC as a volunteer was made prior to the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in October, 2009.
Then today, I received this statement from National Prayer Breakfast spokesperson, Ambassador Richard Swett. Richard Swett was Ambassador to Denmark from 1998-2001. Prior to that post, he represented the 2nd district of New Hampshire from 1991-1995 as a Democrat.
Ambassador Richard Swett, a longtime associate of the Fellowship Foundation since his days in Congress in the early â€˜90s, confirmed the accuracy of Mr. Hunterâ€s report to Warren Throckmorton. He went on to state, â€œThe National Prayer Breakfast is an organization that builds bridges of understanding between all peoples, religions and beliefs and has never advocated the sentiments expressed in Mr. Bahatiâ€s legislation.â€
For more information, contact Bob Hunter at loonlakeme@aol.com.
This post was in large part in response to your request for an official to confirm my statements contained in the earlier Throckmorton post on this subject. I understand your confusion about my authority to speak for the Fellowship. I did go on to NPR and the Maddow Show with no permission from anyone in the Fellowship. Since that time, many involved in the Fellowship began to discuss my role. Doug Coe and I met and he did say that, as long as I generally cleared what I was doing through a process he suggested and which I am following, I had his authority to speak on issues relating to Uganda and the AHB.
I also understand your confusion about the issue of my not discussing Senator Inhofe on the Rachel Maddow Show. An hour or two after my appearance on Rachelâ€s show, Jeff Sharlet called to discuss several things. During that conversation, I told him I had been prepared to answer questions about Inhofe on the show, my expectation of such questioning buttressed later by a producer who said I should expect questions along that line. But no questions about Inhofe were asked. Jeff misrepresented or misunderstood what I told him. I was not â€œsidetracked,â€ I tried to honestly respond to each question I was asked in what I thought was a very fair (and long, for prime-time TV, in my experience being interviewed fighting insurance companies as a consumer advocate) interview by Rachel Maddow. I cannot fairly be called to account for not answering unasked questions.]]>I paste below a very recent post from Warren Throckmorton:

Yesterday, I disclosed that Hon. David Bahati, author of Ugandaâ€™s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, would not be attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC on February 4. I then posted an update and statement from Ambassador Richard Swett, spokesperson for the National Prayer Breakfast. I am providing both here in this post.
Here is my post from yesterday:
Author of Ugandaâ€™s Anti-Homosexuality Bill, Uganda MP David Bahati, will not be attending the National Prayer Breakfast according to sources with the Fellowship Foundation. On Sunday, Ugandaâ€™s Monitor reported that Bahati planned to attend and to speak at the event. However, according to Bob Hunter and others with the Fellowship Foundation, Bahati was invited months ago [prior to introducing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill] to come to Washington DC only as a volunteer and not to attend the NPB event. According to these sources, Bahati declined the invitation prior to introducing the Anti-Homosexuality Bill. According to Mr. Hunter, the Monitor article and Bahatiâ€™s statements came as a complete surprise to the NPB officials here. However, in the event the article was accurate, the NPB officials and Congressional leaders were taking action to assure that Bahati did not come to any of the meetings.
I want to make clear that according to the Fellowship the invitation to come to Washington, DC as a volunteer was made prior to the introduction of the Anti-Homosexuality Bill in October, 2009.
Then today, I received this statement from National Prayer Breakfast spokesperson, Ambassador Richard Swett. Richard Swett was Ambassador to Denmark from 1998-2001. Prior to that post, he represented the 2nd district of New Hampshire from 1991-1995 as a Democrat.
Ambassador Richard Swett, a longtime associate of the Fellowship Foundation since his days in Congress in the early â€˜90s, confirmed the accuracy of Mr. Hunterâ€™s report to Warren Throckmorton. He went on to state, â€œThe National Prayer Breakfast is an organization that builds bridges of understanding between all peoples, religions and beliefs and has never advocated the sentiments expressed in Mr. Bahatiâ€™s legislation.â€
For more information, contact Bob Hunter at loonlakeme@aol.com.

This post was in large part in response to your request for an official to confirm my statements contained in the earlier Throckmorton post on this subject. I understand your confusion about my authority to speak for the Fellowship. I did go on to NPR and the Maddow Show with no permission from anyone in the Fellowship. Since that time, many involved in the Fellowship began to discuss my role. Doug Coe and I met and he did say that, as long as I generally cleared what I was doing through a process he suggested and which I am following, I had his authority to speak on issues relating to Uganda and the AHB.

I also understand your confusion about the issue of my not discussing Senator Inhofe on the Rachel Maddow Show. An hour or two after my appearance on Rachelâ€™s show, Jeff Sharlet called to discuss several things. During that conversation, I told him I had been prepared to answer questions about Inhofe on the show, my expectation of such questioning buttressed later by a producer who said I should expect questions along that line. But no questions about Inhofe were asked. Jeff misrepresented or misunderstood what I told him. I was not â€œsidetracked,â€ I tried to honestly respond to each question I was asked in what I thought was a very fair (and long, for prime-time TV, in my experience being interviewed fighting insurance companies as a consumer advocate) interview by Rachel Maddow. I cannot fairly be called to account for not answering unasked questions.

There should be a massive demonstration outside the ‘C’ building on February 4th, a demonstration which would include anyone and everyone who hates secret societies which believe and teach that they above the law.

Frankly, if I could, I would show up there operating a pink bulldozer and then, well, che sera, sera!!

JPB

]]>By: Lynn Davidhttp://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/01/19/19650#comment-60197
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 11:19:54 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=19650#comment-60197Yes…. Bahati seems to be very resolute, even to thinking he would speak there. Throckmorton asked for Bahati’s reply via email, and he has gotten nothing.
]]>By: David C.http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2010/01/19/19650#comment-60192
Tue, 19 Jan 2010 07:40:19 +0000http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/?p=19650#comment-60192There is a reason people tend to distrust “secret” organizations, and here is an excellent example of why that is so: they cannot be trusted to reveal their true intent.
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